'The nation doesn't want citizens like me'

On the opposite side of Beijing to the Olympic site, there is an alter-image of the modern, prosperous, welcoming China that will be pushed to the fore next year. The streets near South Beijing railway station are home to the nation's most oppressed underclass: the petitioners.

In a tradition going back to the imperial era, such people come to seek redress from central government against abuses by provincial officials. With no independent judiciary, the likelihood of justice is almost zero, but many fight on with a dogged obsession born of a belief they are right. It drives some close to insanity. Aside from a few human rights groups, lawyers and journalists, people keep well away. Our taxi driver is so nervous he does not want to give me a receipt. "I don't want to be connected to this," he says.

Liu Jie, a middle-aged woman from the northeastern Heilongjiang province, is considered one of the petitioners' leaders. She says more of them than ever are flooding to the capital in the Olympics run-up, but the government's response has been to demolish their temporary houses and send more of them away to "re-education centres" and mental institutions. Hotels and flophouses have been ordered not to accept them and police spot checks stepped up. "We have no place to live now," she says. "It is because they want to redevelop this area, which is seen as a black spot, before the Olympics. There have always been lots of petitioners sleeping on the streets. Some are beaten to death or die of hypothermia. It happens all the time."

The stories of injustice are appalling. Land theft is the commonest complaint - Liu accused local officials of corruption after her dairy farm was seized so they could build a factory. Others say they lost everything after fighting against village chiefs, Communist party cadres, police or factory bosses who stole their property, raped their daughters or refused to pay for accidents.

Liu is a cogent advocate, who has drawn up plans for law reform and written to prime minister Wen Jiabao."The nation doesn't want citizens like me", she says. And she expects even tighter controls. "We heard the police chief recently gave a speech saying there should be more restrictions to prevent petitioners coming to Beijing. That is how they want to deal with us - keep us out, rather than deal with our problems."